What did you do in the shop today?

[CrazyGoatLady]

I think sometimes I'd like to forge outside. That's the only thing I don't like about being inside a shop is I still get cooped up feeling. But I'd have to build a fence or something to keep the goats and chickens out. I already have a little fence barrier in front of the doors to the shop to keep them out. I like my current stand, but I think if I build another one, I'd like to have it be adjustable.

[Shabumi]

Thats funny, I always thought I'd like working in a shop sometimes. I guess the grass is always greener.

The adjustments were nice while I was finding the right height, but I haven't adjusted it once I found the right height for me ~6 months ago. It didn't hurt that it was a pain to adjust the rims. I had 3 large rims and 2 small whose outside rim fit snuggly inside the larger ones, so by flipping the larger ones so the "center" was either high or low, I could change the height while still being solid. From what I've seen of adjustable stands (which isn't alot) is that the adjusting mechanism can't take the continuous impacts of hammering

[Goods]

Well, no forging today, but reclayed my JABOD, helped my son with some chain mail, and welded a rolling frame for my buffalo forge. Had to repair the clinker breaker on it earlier in the week, and I still need to remake the ash dump (which I broke). Also showing my new flux spoon from a couple days ago.

Photos a little out of order, but you get the idea.

Now, if I want to keep my wife happy, tomorrow will probably all be tuck pointing...

Enjoy you time at the forge!

David

[Chris C]

Well, in the shop today.................................

Frosty,  yesterday I was telling you I still had a little propane left in one of my tanks that I wasn't aware of.  (sure wish they had a fuel gauge on the danged things!)  Anyway, I forged a little more on my Bolt Jaw Tongs before actually running out of propane today.  Also started stabilizing the grips from my next knife.  I'm going to use the removal method and am using CPM154 stainless steel for this one.  It's going to be a rather simple EDC............little or no frills or flash like the last two.  (not everyone likes all that "look at me" stuff)  Just going to be a good every day carry knife.  So I cut the knife profile out and will start work on the sander to bring it to shape.  Sure wish my shop included a 2x72 sander like so many of the knife makers use.  My little 1x30 sander is pretty puny!  Also took some time to make some under floor joists for a little place to roll my forge out of the shop onto.  They are tapered because the area in front of the garage door slopes down to the rock driveway.  I want to keep the forge level.  I'll be sure and post a pic when I get that "porch" finished.

[blacksmith-450]

Small champagne saber ! 224 layers

 

[JHCC]

1 hour ago, blacksmith-450 said:

Small champagne saber ! 224 layers

I’ll drink to that!

[Rojo Pedro]

Playing with different materials...

knife blank from leaf spring, ugly hook from a connecting rod, little hook from 1/4” mild, bend fork from half of a RR clip (tough stuff), kiridashi knife form same RR clip (quenched in oil and very hard), knife shape test from large wrought iron leaf spring, little leaf from WI rr spike (after 2 fails), tiny leaf from ss, start of a copper fish,  thanks for looking

 

 

[pnut]

18 hours ago, CrazyGoatLady said:

I think sometimes I'd like to forge outside.

It's nice sometimes but I don't know how many days I've wished to be forging indoors. It would be great to have a choice depending on how you were feeling and what the weather is like ;-)

Pnut

[Cannon Cocker]

Old crew that is one heck of an awesome find!  

I just shut the forge off after realizing that my truck driver hands aren't as tough as they were when they were millwright hands!  (I popped a couple of blisters and my forearm was starting to cramp up as well. But I suppose that's what happens when you swing an 8# sledge one handed for a couple of hours!). 

I made my first hammer eye drift out of a leaf spring pin my Peterbilt donated to the scrap bucket. 

It's not actually crooked that's just the lighting on it. 

And I started turning a cheep 4# hammer into a double diagonal peen hammer like what John sometimes uses on black bear forge. 

Yesterday I made my wife a foot stool to keep her feet off the cold floor while she's working at the desk I made for her last week. In the words of Red Green. "If the women don't find you handsome at least they'll find you handy!". I'm pretty sure my wife finds me both! 

[Awrksmokey]

That's a nice looking stool Cannon Cocker.

I made a few more punches today out of a coilspring. They hardened alright but that was the toughest piece of steel I've ever hit! 

[Chris C]

17 hours ago, Awrksmokey said:

that was the toughest piece of steel I've ever hit

I'm glad to hear you say that.  I have a huge coil spring that I picked up at the scrap yard and am presently trying to make my first pair of tongs with it.  I keep pounding, but it doesn't seem to get any thinner!  Was thinkin' it was the fault of this old man.  Good to hear someone else suggest it's hard to move! WHEW!

[JHCC]

Nice work, everyone!

 Worked on a few little projects:

1. Dug out and did some grinding on a long-abandoned kitchen knife:

2. Started making a bending fork from a RR track anchor:

3. Made another practice calla lily:

4. And last but not least, made a rather large triangle out of 1” pipe:

 

[Bleu86]

Applied rigidizer to the insulation on my first forge!

 

[BillyBones]

Made the old lady a heart hook a week or so ago, so of course now she wants another. Still needs some wax and a little finish work. She has also tasked me with a shelf over the stove. This one will be about 14" lower than the present one. So i made 2 wall brackets and it will hang on the front corners form the upper shelf. The hangers i decided to use 3/8 round with a blacksmiths diamond on the top. (thanks again Jenifer.) So 2 diamonds welded up, 2 brackets finished, and a hook that needs some tweeking, filing and finish. All in all a good day.

But wait there is more...

Started a new bow the other day. Got the sides of the limbs cut down and some contour on the handle. Piece of birch with 2 layers of fiber glass on the front. Thinking of 2 more maybe. Still need to do the insides of the limbs, then bend it and start scraping for a good clean even bend. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Billy, Love all of it..   Love the work and it looks even which can be tough on the legs for twirls and hearts. 

I've made this suggestion to others..  Put a chamfer on items that are left square cornered unless you want or need the square corner.. 
It imparts a more finished look and lends a softeness to being touched.  If the heart hook has knocked down corners then I appolgize..  I just can't see them from here..  
Your welcome.. I'm so glad your able to use the information..  This is such a huge enjoyment to see. It makes it all worth it.  
Love the bow.. Long bow?  Do you find birch offers good pull ratio for length?  I imagine the fiberglass helps with consistency.  Are the rings spaced enough to be easy to get one layer and easy enough to feather? 

CGL..   

I am so biased to forging inside, I built a trailer..  Which was a huge labor.. Not of love but of self preservation. 

I have worked at demos for many, many years and at outside venues.. I can tell you that when you first start it might be fun or enticing since it's easier with no stack to draw smoke away, but when you are working hard at the forge and using a coal forge you would feel different..  I have on more than one occasion be completely covered in black from soot and smoke blown at me over the course of an 8hr demo. 

A Gas forge the biggest thing is to get rid of the heat..  But forging outside for many is a problem and is addressed with metal color differences, smoke/soot,  these 2 are the biggest, but if you are using a gas forge the smoke and soot won't be your problem only the metal color.. 

When I first started doing demos I could not forge weld and when I was in my normal shop I noticed that I couldn't forge weld there either..    The next year I kept practicing and when the summer demos came up I could forge weld nearly every time and this was still in bright day light.. 

Back in the shop I still could not forge weld consistently.. 

I soon figured out (6months) that it was because of the light in the shop vs outside..   Once i started to raise the temperature inside the shop, the welds became more consistent. 

[CrazyGoatLady]

Oh my! There is so much good work y'all have been posting I'm way behind on commenting. Wonderful to be able to see it all. 

As far as forging inside. I'm fortunate to be able to forge inside and I wouldn't change it on a permanent basis. For me, it's claustrophibia or something akin to that. I struggle with times I don't get enough sunlight. Winter and cloudy weather are difficult for me. I think sometimes if I could forge AND be outside, it'd be nice. That is one thing that keeps me from going out to the shop some days is if I'm already feeling like I can't breathe. But I would not want to have to be outside all the time

[BillyBones]

Thanks Jennifer.

No the corners are not chamfered in the pic. I figure that it will be part of the filing actually.

A friend is turning me onto this method of bow making. I have no experience with birch. The bows i have made were either maple or red wood. Never used fiber glass before so i was figuring it was just for reinforcement. 

[jlpservicesinc]

I don't know what your shop is like or the layout..  

I think that is the reason why most old shops had at least one door that opened to the outside..    Well, at least country shops.. Well that for shoeing and wagon repairs too.  

I think today we forget what it means to be a general jobber..  Year before last I was forging out in the trailer on a -13 f day..  I was thinking I'd love to have a wood stove or at least some sort of heat source..   Light is easy.. I just open the doors..

Its funny me saying this because there were many shops that were in the cellar of the buildings and many journals had articles on supplying good lighting to the smiths shop.  This lead me to believe they were poorly lit. 

In a perfect world.. Everything would be what ever I wanted it to be in that moment..  I'm still waiting for my creativeness to catch up with that.. 

Billy..  I try to forge nearly everything I can  as this shortens finish work..    I love that heart hook..  I'm going to stash that design in the back pocket.. . 

Just another info thing..  If I can finish forge and my last heats are burnishing.. I can go right to BLO or wax or which ever finish I choose. 

All items that are not going to be hardened or used for eating are left as near their naturally forged state as possible and try to have them finished without clean up.. 

Took me a few years to realize just how much faster it is to forge to finish.   

[Shabumi]

Everything is looking great everyone. I wish I could comment on everything, but I'll just hit the highlights for me. 

JHCC: great sounding triangle, you should be able to tell when supper is ready from mile away.

Bones: I'm quite intrigued to see the bow when it's done

Awrk: I like the punches, will they be hand held or handled? When I made a punch from coil spring and found it tough, I took a piece and practiced my SOR with it for a bit. Because of how hard I HAD to hit it to move the steel, it showed me how hard I SHOULD be hitting mild steel. Now mild moves much easier for me.

[Goods]

Well, started off a bit too chilly today for tuck pointing, so I worked some more on the buffalo forge. I forged a new ash dump for it. 1/4” plate cut/forged round, 3/8”x3/4” forged to shape, then MiG welded to the 1/4” plate. Finally, had to see if my rebuild JABOD would get up to welding heat again, so weld up a hook basket a w/1” ball bearing as the weight.

Keep it fun,

David

[JHCC]

12 hours ago, Shabumi said:

JHCC: great sounding triangle, you should be able to tell when supper is ready from mile away.

I'm negotiating a trade with the neighbors across the way: they have four kids, and the dad is a homebrewer.

[pnut]

15 hours ago, JHCC said:

2. Started making a bending fork from a RR track anchor:

Is that a fair clip? One of the ? shaped ones. They are handy. I have to get better at straightening them though. It takes me a while to do it. 

Pnut

[JHCC]

One of these, straightened in two heats with the help of The Beast:

[pnut]

Yep, it's a fair clip. I have to beat em straight on a rail anvil. I get it done but it's not quick or easy. I guess there's some value in the sweat of it all the same lol. I've started cutting the tight bent end off. 

Pnut

[JHCC]

No, Fair anchors have a T-shaped cross-section. This is a “Unit V” anchor.

Here’s a storyboard of a pair of fullers I made from a Fair anchor: